Since the electric car is essentially urban, the recharging of its electric battery or batteries involves the use of existing power outlets and/or a new infrastructure (recharging terminals), to be installed on public roads or in readily accessible places (parking facilities, workplaces, etc.).
Two recharging modes are currently envisaged:                by direct connection (normal or fast recharging),        contactless.        
The simplest recharging works using a direct connection, to a so-called normal outlet, delivering an alternating current of 16 A at 220 to 240 V, or approximately 3.7 kVA. The alternating current is transformed in direct current by the car's embedded charger. A complete recharge is done in 6 to 10 h.
The advantage of this type of charge, which can be performed from a conventional domestic outlet, lies in the absence of the need for any new infrastructure, at least for individuals who have a garage or a parking space. This type of charge also has the advantage of offering the possibility of recharging the vehicle at night for several hours, at the time when energy consumption is lowest.
Recharging by fast direct connection requires a dedicated charging terminal, delivering a direct current of a hundred or so amperes, at a voltage currently between 20 and 500 V, directly applied to the batteries of the electric vehicle. The installed power is of the order of 50 kVA.
This type of recharge provides, in principle, an autonomy of 3 to 5 km per minute of charge, provided that the batteries are capable of absorbing high currents without damage. A co-management of the charge by intelligent elements present, on the one hand on the electric vehicle and on the other hand on the fast charging terminal, is necessary.
The fast recharging terminal comprises a charger-rectifier supplied by a three-phase network.
With regard to contactless recharging, two different charging methods are the subject of intensive research:                energy transfer by microwaves,        induction coupling.        
In the latter method, the energy passes through a primary winding, generally on the ground, to a secondary winding installed on the vehicle.
With these devices, the user has no more connections to make.
The increase in the number of electric cars will necessarily pose a problem of management of the electrical energy available for charging in the short term.
The quantity of energy consumed by the electric car depends mainly on its efficiency and on the distance that it travels. Designed for an average of 40 km per day, the electric car demands between 4 and 25 kWh per 24 h, which gives an annual consumption of between 1 500 and 9 000 kWh. According to the different sources given by GIFAM (Groupement interprofessionnel des fabricants d'appareils d'équipement ménager, French cross-disciplinary grouping of household equipment appliance manufacturers) and INSEE, in France, the average domestic consumption of the potential users of electric cars would amount to 8 000 kWh and this consumption would amount to 10 000 kWh in the United States.
Thus, the electric car could increase family consumption by 20 to 50%.
If most of the users recharge their cars during the day, the installed power of the electric power stations will increase beyond what is reasonable.
Moreover, the fast recharging, generally requiring 50 kVA, for tens of minutes, will lead not only to an over-dimensioning of the electric power stations, but also to a modification of the power lines.
On the other hand, overnight recharging would require a power of approximately 3 kW (recharging for 6 to 10 h), which is easily supported by the existing installations.
Now, it is observed that the fast charging terminals for electric vehicles are all currently powered by a single power source: generally the electrical distribution network.
The energy consumed and the power demanded by the simultaneous recharging of a large number of electric batteries could lead not only to an overdimensioning of the electric power stations, but also to a modification of the power lines.
This additional electricity demand will consequently have negative impacts on:                the CO2 content of the electrical kWh (depending on the electricity production mode: nuclear, hydraulic, thermal, etc.);        the management, the architecture and the control of the electricity distribution networks;        the management of peak electrical consumption and in particular the impact of fast recharging;        local reinforcement of the electricity network.        